School Improvement Plans in Schools on Probation: A Comparative Content Analysis across Three Accountability Systems

Abstract

This article explores school improvement planning under conditions of high-stakes accountability by means of a content analysis of school improvement plans. The schools examined here were identified by their accountability agencies as low performing and were put on probation to reverse their decline. Schools in three accountability systems are compared. Content analyses indicated that school improvement plans across the three jurisdictions were very similar, suggesting institutional isomorphism. However, certain policy design features prompted variation in the levels of internalization of external demands by school sites.